AIDS Diagnosis is Forever

[milker]

Hi all,

i'm interested in this and didn't want to hijack John's post. Many of you said that an AIDS Diagnosis is Forever. I'm not sure I understand this. And i'm going to ask a very very simple question, and please don't beat me on this one, I'm serious.

But..

What is AIDS? The definition is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Ok it's acquired, is it why it's there for ever when you "acquire" it? Or is it not something that you can get rid of? I understand that you cannot get rid of HIV, but AIDS?

Milker.

[whizzer]

Nope, you can't go backwards.  When you are given an AIDS diagnosis, it is reported to the CDC, and your checkmark is moved from the 'HIV' column to the 'AIDS' column on the Great Big Spreadsheet in Atlanta, never to return.

I could go on, but this subject has been beaten to death in the near past.  For a lengthy discussion, see AustinWesley's histrionic thread of Feb 20, 2007.

"Acquired"  means just that.  It is something that you catch.  As opposed to rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, plasma cell dysplasias, monoclonal gammopathies, and any of a host of autoimmune disorders which seem to lack a causative agent.

-Whiz

[milker]

I'm sorry I didn't do a search before posting this. I will check it out.

Milker.

[Life]

Its a book.......

[milker]

Well now thinking about it I'm sure it is

I didn't realize that. I will do some research

Milker.

[MoltenStorm]

What I read was that AIDS was classified as having a TCell count lower than 200 or having one of a list of OIs such as Tuberculosis, Karosi Sarcoma, Pneumonia, etc.

Also, once you are diagnosed as having AIDS, you can't go back to just being HIV+. That one kind of throws me for a loop as well. Say your TCells dip below 200, but you don't get an OI, and your TCells rise over 200 again, why are you stuck at being classified as having AIDS?

[whizzer]

That's correct.

[milker]

whizzer what is correct?

If someone goes from < 200 to 400 ?

Milker (who has yet to read the previous posts about this)

[cubbybear]

Im sorry but I don't care what the CDC's paperwork or anyone's paperwork says for that matter.  I had AIDS when I was diagnosed.  CD4 35 and several OIs, and happily checking out of this world. 

Today my CD4 is over 200 and I have no OIs.  I don't care what anyone says, I don't have AIDS anymore, I have HIV.  My body no longer fits that criteria for AIDS.  No piece of paper can define my state of health.  My health changes, for better or worse, and I'm not one for dwelling on the dear me, I earned my AIDS status so I'm going to keep it.  That's my opinion. 

As far as I'm concerned, good bye AIDS, hello HIV... and maybe oneday I'll be able to say goodbye to that too.. in one way or another.  If I get sick again, heaven forbid, then I'll happily wear the AIDS label again.. but until then, I'm happy to piss it off.

[SASA39]

For me it is a question to whom a medicine today still have not answer.
Why ?
They ( doctors ) only presume that if you go below 200 that you will have a significant lack of all necessary subtypes of CD4 cells.
Those particularly subtypes are supposed to fight particular subtypes of OI . And a newly creates one are not so good as a natural ones.
Beside that , a gland called thymus (T-cells) has done her work until your 30-es so the production of new T cells is much more slower.
That fact and a possibility that you are having an OI give them a imaginary line to separate AIDS from HIV.
I say imaginary because a number of Tcells vary from 600-1500 and nobody do not know your natural one ( before the infection).
Also they presume that when you got HIV a T cells deteriorate by 50 -100 per year , but there is a group called fast progressors.
In order to establish a real patterns they would need a healthy volunteers .That group would be than infected with HIV and be tracked from a beggining.  And it would have to be a really big group( all tribes , sexes , ages.....habits............)
And because a virus destroy a core of a  living cell where we do not have approach with a present state of science , doctors could only guess about of a illness flow during the years.
For me drinking meds if you are in a situation CD4<200 and OI is similar to a broken expensive Chinese porcelain.You can glue it , but prey not to be some draft , or kids, or curios cat around who could turn that thing down.And it would never be as a new one...........................
Just my 2 c.......................
                                                     Al

[GoodMatchHawaiiRetreat]

I met a guy recently who told me that he had tested poz for HIV at some point.  Since then he did a lot of research and through some process (mostly naturopathic / wholisitic) has changed his system.  He says he now tests negative on the HIV tests.  My viral load has been undetectable for years, but I never thought of retesting (assumed it would always show poz).   Has anyone here had experience with sero-unconverting or returning to HIV- status?   Thanks for any information.

[Central79]

Hey

I think the who AIDS/HIV thing is something pretty arbitrary. I think the lowest point your CD4 gets to (CD4 nadir) is important - in terms of risk of dying in the near future, risk of acquiring and OI, and risk of developing side effects from drugs like lipo later on. I also know that the risk of the first two returns to the same as a "merely" HIV+ person once you've climbed out of the danger zone.

My experience of HIV medicine is limited, but from what I've seen doctors don't really pay much attention to the AIDS label - unless somebody is clearly terminal and not responding to medication. Or didn't have time to respond after diagnosis. I really think it's there for a) the beancounters in Atlanta and b) to emphasise the importance of "must start meds" before CD4 = 200.

What Good is talking about is seroreversion. I found a couple of news articles, because this interested me for a while as I was reading about a kid in Florida who did it. It only means that you have lost antibodies to HIV, not that you are cured:

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/C4BB2E4A-DA3C-46A1-B8F8-F560D2F64AFE.asp

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/5FE2063D-8586-4324-8FE2-805EF7460EEA.asp

Matt.

[woodshere]

Also, once you are diagnosed as having AIDS, you can't go back to just being HIV+. That one kind of throws me for a loop as well. Say your TCells dip below 200, but you don't get an OI, and your TCells rise over 200 again, why are you stuck at being classified as having AIDS?

It is my understanding this it is still used for disability, assistance and such.  If you are getting disability and other assistance because you have AIDS then your CD4 count goes above 200 and your AIDS diagnosis was withdrawn you would lose  your disability/assistance leading to possible difficulty paying for meds and lose them causing n your CD4 count to once again drop below 200 and a vicious cycle starts.
Or something like that.

Woods

[AlanBama]

GMH, someone you know tested positive, and then later tested negative?   Sounds fishy to me.......

Yes, milker once you have AIDS you've got it for life.   I received an AIDS diagnosis in Feb 1991, and even though my virus has been controlled for years and my T-cells are in the 400-500 range, I still have AIDS.    It's just a word, we give it way too much power.   It certainly does not define who I am (but unfortunately, it is a big part of my life).

hugs,

Alan